Chapter 48
Celestine’s face was calm, though a flicker of mockery passed swiftly through her
eyes.
What a heartwarming, sugary scene.
So these were the “devoted boyfriend” and “blissful girlfriend” the restaurant staff had whispered about..
No wonder it had caused such a stir.
Her gaze shifted, landing on Zeke, who was practically bouncing with excitement beside the happy couple.
Earlier, when Celestine had arrived, Mirabelle’s paparazzi–snapped photos–showing her being rushed into the hospital–had already hit the top of the trending news. During her romance with Zeke, Mirabelle’s rising star power had brought plenty of attention (and profit) to The Sterling Group:
And yet here was Zeke himself, the supposed loving boyfriend, with time to celebrate another woman’s birthday? Unbelievable.
Birds of a feather, she thought bitterly. No wonder he and Chester were such close
friends.
Across from her, Crystal Lennox, who had expected nothing more than a bit of theater, now looked visibly annoyed by the scene.
If memory served, Chester hadn’t even finalized his divorce from Celly yet. And here they were, flaunting their affair right out in the open?
Noticing the tension in Celestine’s and Crystal’s faces, the restaurant manager’s heart sank. This could only mean trouble.
Inside the private dining room, Zeke spotted the two women standing at the door, both with thunderclouds on their faces. He wasn’t the least bit surprised.
He let out a derisive snort through his nose.
As expected. If he didn’t force their hand, these two stubborn women would never come crawling back to apologize.
He wondered, idly, how they’d beg for mercy this time. Maybe he’d finalize that little sportswear deal right in front of them, hand it over to Joanna’s people, just to rub it
- in.
1/3
14.20
Chapter 48
With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Zeke swaggered over to the doorway, grinning provocatively. “Well, well. Here for Joanna’s birthday party, ladies? Bit of bad luck for you–there aren’t any seats left. Better see yourselves out.”
The room wasn’t big, and Zeke’s voice carried clearly to everyone inside.
Chester, seeing Celestine in the doorway, remained silent. The bandage at the corner of his eye was gone, but a crescent–shaped red mark, about the size of a fingernail, lingered–making his already fox–like eyes look even more striking.
Joanna, noticing Chester’s distraction, dug her fingernails into her palm but stepped forward, all smiles. “Oh, Celly! Crystal! Sorry, I must have forgotten to send you invitations. Come in, please, take a seat.” She played the gracious hostess to perfection.
Chester said nothing, which was as good as consent.
Zeke, however, was less than thrilled. His gaze lingered on Crystal Lennox. “Joanna, why let them crash your birthday? Aren’t you worried they’ll ruin the mood and bring bad luck?”
Crystal was, out of all his exes, the most infuriating–a woman who didn’t know her place. He’d only spent time with Joanna, and Crystal had blown up at him, even breaking things off on her own. The nerve! He’d always hated women who didn’t know their place; she wasn’t even worthy of being a short–term fling..
Crystal just smiled sweetly. “Oh? And here I thought you looked familiar. Zeke Sterling, Joanna’s loyal lapdog in the flesh.”
Celestine’s smile was cool. “How strange. Most boyfriends don’t spend their girlfriend’s birthday leaping around like a circus act. Careful, you might bite your
own tongue.”
Their jabs hit home. Zeke’s face turned purple with rage.
“You two sharp–tongued witches! I guess losing out on that contract last time didn’t teach you a thing!”
Celestine blinked, feigning innocence. “Excuse me, sir, did you just confess? I merely tried to walk by when you blocked my way–and for that, you cost us thirty million.”
Crystal’s lips curled. “Maybe you hurt your third leg in the process and became vengeful. Poor thing.”
Zeke was practically foaming at the mouth, yelling for the manager, “Security! Where’s your security staff? Are they blind? Get these two women out of here,
2/3
14.20
Chapter 48
now!”
Amid the chaos, Chester’s voice turned cold: “Zeke, what contract?”
At that, Zeke froze, suddenly meek.
After a moment, he stammered, eyes darting, “N–nothing… Just routine business competition. It just so happens the rival company was working with them.”
“Oh?” Chester’s tone was heavy with suspicion.
Zeke always stuttered when he lied.
3/3
